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Bare Seoul
Claire Doyle
Ingredients, actives and the evidence behind them

Claire Doyle

Claire writes the ingredients side of Bare Seoul — what is in the bottle, what the research behind it actually measured, and how often the answer is less than the label suggests. She is not a chemist and reading papers does not make her one.

26 pieces on Bare Seoul · How we work

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Skin goals

How to get rid of blind pimples, the Korean skincare way

A blind pimple is a pore sealed shut under the skin, which is why a hydrocolloid patch made for a surfaced spot does little for it. Korea's answer is to keep the pore clear and let the bump settle, without forcing it.

Ingredients

Niacinamide: the quiet all-rounder in your Korean routine

Niacinamide turns up in Korean toners, essences and exfoliants as a supporting player, a few lines down the ingredient list. Here's what this form of vitamin B3 does for skin, and the actives it sits happily beside.

Ingredients

What Korean snail mucin does, and how to use it in a routine

Snail secretion filtrate is the ingredient Korean brands like COSRX turned into a staple. Here's what it does for skin, what the evidence behind it supports, and how to layer it so dry skin holds the extra hydration.

Skin goals

Korean skincare for dark spots and hyperpigmentation

Korea treats an even, luminous tone as the point of a routine, and builds it with gentle brighteners you can use every day. Here's what fades dark spots, and why sun protection does most of the work.

Skin goals

Korean glass skin: what it is, and how to get closer to it

Glass skin — yuri pibu in Korean — is the name for a smooth, lit-from-within complexion. This is what moves the look, what's fixed by genetics and light, and the hydration doing most of the work.

Ingredients

AHA, BHA and PHA: how to choose a Korean exfoliating acid

Korean skincare treats exfoliating acids as a gentle habit — AHA, BHA and PHA, each with a different job. How the three families differ, and which one your skin will get on with.

Ingredients

What Korean heartleaf does for your skin

Heartleaf — Houttuynia cordata — is the herb Korean brands like Anua built a sensitive-skin range around. This is what the research supports, how it differs from centella, and when it's worth reaching for.

The treatment step

Korean essence vs serum: what each does, and do you need both?

Essence and serum sit on the same treatment step, at different strengths. Here's what each does, whether you need both, and how to choose the one Korean active that suits your skin.

Snail mucin vs hyaluronic acid

COSRX Snail 96 Essence vs Torriden Dive-In Serum: which do you pick?

Two Korean hydration steps with different main ingredients: a snail mucin essence with a short ingredient list, or a hyaluronic acid serum with no snail, plus centella and a ceramide.

Toner vs toner

Anua Heartleaf 77 vs Round Lab Dokdo: which toner suits your skin?

Two fragrance-free Korean toners for the step straight after cleansing: Round Lab's short hydrating formula and Anua's 77% heartleaf toner. We compare the two formulas and explain what neither toner does.

Serum vs serum

Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum vs Glow Deep Serum: which do you pick?

Two Beauty of Joseon serums with almost the same name and different jobs: propolis and niacinamide for glow and calm, rice and alpha-arbutin for evening out tone.